*We don't call it Moon Balls, because, 6th grade boys... ha. Moon Phases is good!

This is a fantastic lesson that is a perfect example of how students construct their own understanding - it needs to be done as written to be effective in this way - let them struggle with it and figure it out for themselves, guiding them with questions for them to test. This is a great way for them to use models to understand natural phenomena - an NGSS tool.

We do this on Monday night of the 5-day week, and if we can squeeze it in before campfire on the 4-day week, we sometimes do it then. Done properly, though, it takes its full alloted time. It's the difference between teaching the concepts and the students actually learning the concepts. This lesson could be done in 1/2 hour if you just tell them and show them, but they won't have the time to explore on their own, make discoveries, test their ideas, and really get it.